Demon Bible

Chapter 139: Tavern

The investigation squad quickly followed the clues leading from the gambling den.

They discovered that the lame man had no personal connections whatsoever.

After his leg was broken, he mostly wandered around the gambling den begging. Whenever he managed to scrape together a few coins, he would immediately rush inside to gamble.

It was not necessarily that his gambling addiction was that severe. At the time, his leg injury had worsened significantly, and the amount of money required for medical treatment was astronomical.

The meager coins he begged for were nowhere near enough.

To save himself, his only option was to gamble.

He gambled until he lost everything, until his rotting leg began to reek so badly that he was barred from even entering the den.

As the investigation deepened, they soon learned that on the day the lame man was kicked out of the gambling den, the little silver he had begged for was swiftly snatched away.

That same night, he was brutally beaten. Those who witnessed the assault assumed he would not survive the night.

In Tail Fin Town, quite a few Warlocks lurked in the shadows.When these Warlocks researched their Witchcraft, they often required human subjects.

A man like the lame beggar—destitute, without family or ties—was completely invisible to the world. No one would care about his fate.

It was highly probable that he would vanish that very night, only to end up in some Warlock's secret laboratory.

Sure enough, the lame man disappeared that evening.

"So the real question is, what exactly happened that night?" Isabella murmured as she arrived near the former site of the gambling den.

Three months ago, a fire had burned the gambling den to the ground.

By now, the debris had long been cleared away. A new building had been erected on the very same spot, though it had transformed from a gambling den into a tavern.

No one cared how many people had perished in that blaze. The location was prime real estate, and since the tavern opened, business had been booming.

Isabella did not overthink the details. After all, her squad members were not professional detectives.

Once they uncovered the general gist of the problem, the next natural step was to rely on Supernatural abilities to investigate further.

For instance, Isabella's cheat-like sensory perception.

She quickly took a stroll around the perimeter but failed to spot anyone suspicious.

Ever since the incident with Xiaobi, the Construct Protocol had caught wind of the situation.

Consequently, those equipped with a Berserk Accessory had been trying to stay indoors as much as possible recently.

At the very least, Isabella could no longer simply glance around and casually spot people modified with Berserk Accessories wandering about, as she had in the past.

However, she was not anxious.

Given the current circumstances, it was perfectly normal for the Construct Protocol to lay low for a while.

As long as the Church did not make any major overt moves, these people would not be able to stay in hiding forever.

Why did they join the Construct Protocol in the first place? To secure a better life.

Before joining the Construct Protocol, they had to be overly cautious and live with their tails tucked between their legs.

If they still had to be overly cautious and live with their tails tucked between their legs even after joining the Construct Protocol...

Wouldn't their membership be completely pointless?

Therefore, these people would only remain vigilant for a short period before gradually letting their guard down.

They wanted to enjoy life. They wanted to live a completely different reality. They would not, and could not, allow themselves to hide away forever.

The kind of extraordinarily calm individual who could lay low indefinitely, resist all external temptations, and maintain strict self-discipline was far rarer than one might imagine.

As night fell, Isabella donned a simple disguise and stepped into the tavern.

The entire establishment was currently bustling with activity. Men who had exhausted themselves from a hard day's labor flooded the tavern, loudly cursing out someone or other while taking massive gulps of cheap beer.

At the same time, their rough, calloused hands groped at the buttocks and breasts of the passing prostitutes.

Of course, if it came down to actually paying for a session, most would decline. A single tryst would cost them the equivalent of several days' wages, rendering their hard work meaningless.

Shrouded in a thick cloak, Isabella strode inside exuding a chilling aura that warned everyone to keep their distance.

Under these circumstances, aside from those who were blackout drunk, no one truly dared to approach and get handsy with her.

After sweeping her gaze across the room, Isabella found her target.

Behind the tavern's counter stood a bartender who casually adjusted his glasses, coldly observing the chaotic scene around him. He immediately caught Isabella's eye.

It was not that he was carrying a Berserk Accessory, but rather that his emotional state was far too placid.

Amidst the boisterous tavern, he seemed entirely detached from his surroundings.

This sort of emotional response indicated that he did not view himself as a mere servant—or at least, not a servant to the Ordinary People present.

'He is highly likely a Transcendent who has embarked on the path of Cultivation,' Isabella reasoned to herself.

This was not surprising. The South District was home to numerous organizations, big and small. The Construct Protocol was certainly not the only one.

More often than not, people from these groups possessed much better access to information.

Isabella stepped forward and ordered a fine glass of liquor, though she made no move to drink it.

"What is it you wish to know, my lady?" the bartender asked in a cool tone, adjusting his glasses once more.

A tavern was a central hub for the free flow of information, and many sought them out precisely to gather intelligence.

The standard procedure was to order a reasonably expensive drink, which essentially served as an admission ticket.

"I am feeling a bit famished. I wonder if you could help me procure some food." Isabella did not directly inquire about the Construct Protocol or the lame man, opting for a different approach instead.

She had not been in Tail Fin Town for very long, making it easy for her to masquerade as an operative from the gray market.

Tapping her finger lightly on the wooden counter, she subtly channeled a trace of Mental Power.

The liquid inside Isabella's glass immediately began to swirl, yet this rapid motion did not disturb or shift the glass itself in the slightest.

The bartender's expression grew solemn. With this casual display of skill, it was highly probable that Isabella was a Warlock or some similar entity.

Such exquisite control over Mental Power was absolutely beyond the capabilities of those who relied on the quick fixes provided by Berserk Accessories.

"We have a few menus here. You may take a look." The bartender glanced around before placing a menu in front of Isabella.

The menu listed ordinary food items. However, when the bartender overlaid another sheet of paper on top of it, the dishes instantly changed.

For example, in "Pan-fried Fish Meat", the word "Pan-fried" was obscured.

The same applied to several other items on the list.

This was the standard Cant used within the industry.

"Fish meat" generally referred to whale meat.

"Red wine" stood for whale blood, and so on.

Anyone unfamiliar with this secret jargon would be left completely baffled.

After a brief pause, Isabella asked, "Can I choose the cooking oil?"

"My sincere apologies, but all other oil crops have been bought out by a mysterious faction. We have no way to provide alternative oils," the bartender replied, shaking his head.

For some unknown reason, whale oil had been subjected to incredibly strict regulations over the past few years.

Whenever even a tiny amount appeared on the market, it was immediately snatched up by a deeply pocketed group. The Church's control over other Whale Products was relatively lax, but when it came to whale blubber, they absolutely refused to release even a single drop to the public.

"Then bring me some fish meat," Isabella said with a flip of her wrist, placing a Gold Coin upon the counter.

"By the way, I heard that some New Things have surfaced in Tail Fin Town over the past half-year. I wonder if you have any here?" Isabella finally revealed her true objective.